Desulfurization of coal by supercritical extraction/reaction

The major emphasis of the investigation is on the reaction of coal with ethanol. Of particular interest is the desulfurization that occurs under supercritical conditions; critical temperature is 243.5/sup 0/C and critical pressure is 63.1 atm. for ethyl alcohol. Current objectives are centered on determining the reaction kinetics of the desulfurization process, and the influence of mineral matter present in the coal on these reactions. Current technology for production of low sulfur gaseous and liquid fuels is based on essentially complete destruction of the coal structure, and in the case of liquid fuel production, a rebuilding of larger molecules. Supercritical extraction of coal to yield a low sulfur, high Btu boiler fuel, together with gaseous and liquid fuels and chemical feedstocks from which the sulfur compounds may be more readily removed, promises to be a more energy efficient approach. 1 figure. (DP)